The Master

There Will Be Blood is still my favorite Paul Thomas Anderson movie but The Master was pretty good.  At first I didn't have much of a problem with Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix), but as the movie progressed I felt like I needed to separate Quell from Phoenix because the two don't belong together.  On the surface, Phoenix seems a natural fit to play the troubled, alcoholic Navy vet, but as the movie progresses I just found it hard to watch Phoenix’s interpretation of the character.  We begin with a look into what it was like to be in the Navy during WWII.  Lonely.  

The story starts strong as we are immediately tossed into the turmoil of military deployment-complete with graphic "sand women" sexual encounters.  We get to know Freddie as a possessed man who will go to any length to ingest intoxicating liquids-no matter how dangerous-but also as a very, very vulnerable soul.  When I had a hard time understanding why Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman) put up with his erratic behavior and obvious vices, I thought it was because he makes a "drink" Dodd enjoys but it's also because Freddy is a child in a man's body.  Dodd immediately recognizes this and moves to both protect and manipulate Freddy simultaneously.  As the charismatic leader of what some people trust is meant to be Scientology, he sees himself as a God-like figure.  He needs to accept Freddie as is.  Love him and show him the proper way to live.

I started my separation of Freddie and Phoenix's interpretation of a brilliantly developed, multi-dimensional character when he stows away on Dodd's boat and they meet for the first time.  This is very early in the movie so prepare yourself for about two hours of crap acting from Phoenix.  As we travel around the boat and get to know others members of The Cause (Dodd’s organization), I prepared myself for something else.  I was struck by how beautiful this movie was shot.  Director of photography, Mihai Malaimare Jr., does a phenomenal job of showcasing the superbly appointed costumes and locations.  The muted colors provide a seemingly perfect filter for which we can watch this story unfold.  Malaimare’s never-ceasing camera movements lull us into a dream-like trance that is not too far off from what I would imagine Cause members feel as they go through processing.  Repeatedly answering the same questions in rapid succession in hopes of breaking through the filters we put on our own lives and hide behind when we don’t want to face reality.

 Hoffman & Amy Adams enrapture us in their world of complete, blind faith.  Much like Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood, they are so spot on, I am in awe of their character development and commitment to roles, that would seem, they were born to play.  I won’t dwell on my dislike of Phoenix as Freddie, but I will say that he steals nearly every scene he’s in—in the worst way imaginable.  His interpretation of what I find to be an interesting and very human character just doesn’t work and comes across very forced and unnatural in delivery.  There’s a scene when Mrs. Dodd (Adams) awakens Freddie (Phoenix) and tells him he has to clean up his act after she confesses to her husband she believes Freddie, continuing on his current path, will be their undoing.  I find it ironic that Phoenix is the undoing of Freddie’s character having a fully believable interpretation in this film. 

There are definitely a few scenes that are not truly effective because I’m not sure if Anderson is alluding to some real tenet of Scientology or if he is fleshing out the precepts of The Cause.  Regardless, with all of Anderson’s movies we have been given a true onion with The Master.  I probably will not watch this movie as many times as his others that I enjoyed more completely, but it will still take a few viewings to fully grasp a story that only Anderson could tell.  I’m sad it’s so difficult for me to get past Phoenix because this really is a gorgeous movie with some outstanding performances that deserve Oscar buzz-if not hardware.

Flight

Romantic comedies :: single women as flight :: alcoholics

We go through the same thing over and over and over and over again.  At times you feel disengaged because it's just so much to consistently take.  How can one person be this self-destructive?  Bravo Mr. Zemeckis for not only bringing us into this dark, uncomfortable world, but for keeping us there for so long.  However, I feel a bit cheated (as I do with RomComs) with the ending.  For a movie that is so strong in many ways, the ending is just total crap.  There's no way that would happen. Ever.  So for the ending alone, I have to say the mark was missed.  Big time.

From the opening scene we witness a totally functioning Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington).  The aviators help perpetuate this illusion.  We have a grown man with big responsibilities.  It's clear his demons are just as big.  But he has become incredibly good at hiding and, if called out, dismissing said demons.  The whole movie is just this build to "will he or won't he".  We observe the limits to which every relationship he has is pushed.  It's not comfortable.  But that's the point.  How many people wanted to shut this movie off?  Disregard it as too long (this was my initial gripe)?  It's because it's deeply true in the emotions it portrays and evokes from the audience.  Denzel does an amazing job keeping us in Whip's cheering section throughout the tumultuous trip.

Don Cheadle is great as the lawyer who just wants to get his client off.  He's there to clean up the problem-with no regard for the actual problem maker.  He admits to not caring, buries evidence that hurts their case and basically acts as an indirect enabler.    John Goodman plays a fantastic direct enabler.  In the final scenes when Whip calls for Harling (Goodman) you know it's going to be good.  And he delivers.  I do think it's a bit overreaching though that people are saying he should be nominated for a best supporting Oscar.  Kelly Reilly plays a perfectly dysfunctional love interest although her back story scenes and weird Crash-esque introduction to the main story felt forced.

Flight does a great job of showing us the dark depths of addiction and just how seemingly incapable some people are of turning around once that far down the rabbit hole.  I think it also shows us that every choice matters.  This small step may seem like a slight divergence from the path, but we know once the flood gates have been opened, it's much more difficult to close and return to the path.  As simple as this lesson is, and as many times as we've been told, Flight reinforces that it really is our choice alone and we will live with the repercussions forever.  However big or small that step may be.

Skyfall

Contrary to what Adele sings on the title track, this is not the end.  We get Daniel Craig for at least two more Bond movies.  That's probably for the best because I hope his last go as double 0 is a tighter production.  **SPOILERS INCLUDED

As much as I was looking forward to Skyfall, it wasn't everything I was hoping it would be.  Mostly because it was just TOO long.  I feel movies like The Dark Knight Rises gives studios this false idea that if we're paying extra for IMAX or if a movie isn't a certain length we will be disappointed.  "We paid good money to see this movie so give us more!"  I only want more if it works for the story.  Quality over quantity any day for me.  (I was a fan of The Dark Knight Rises so I'm not against long movies.  Just long movies that could have been better had they continued to purge excess script fluff.)

I totally fell for the overall story of Skyfall.  The idea of MI6 being attacked with such intimate understanding of it's structure and by someone on the "inside", it's brilliant and provides a perfectly natural transition for a few key roles in Bond's life.  Having the movie center on M's past and make her such an important part of the story only makes sense because it's her last.  However, it is overindulgent in the last 30ish minutes to the point where I actually just wanted the movie to be over already.  Once the final credits rolled, I got the warm fuzzies again because it was a fun Bond movie with plenty of nods to the Sean Connery & Roger Moore classics that I originally fell in love with, but not a movie you watch over and over.

Per usual, Ralph Fiennes is great.  So is Ben Whishaw as the new Q.  Thoroughly enjoy that casting call!  Although I would have liked to see a few more toys from that department.  Rory Kinnear puts in a solid performance as well in his return to the franchise as Tanner.  Naomie Harris strikes the perfect balance between old-timey Bond girl kitch and a more updated interpretation of Miss Moneypenny.  Personally, Javier Bardem is a little too enthusiastic in a few moments for me to fully get on board with his villain but he nails it for 95% of the movie.  (The makeup team that created his facial prosthetics hit it out of the park!)  Berenice Marlohe's ethnic ambiguity is a touch Eva Green in Casino Royale and very much enjoyable from start to finish.  She's gorgeous and I loved her.

Overall I give it a solid B.  Roger Deakins shoots the hell out of the movie so the whole thing looks great.  The locations were amazing and totally delivered.  Costumes seemed like an afterthought and a few of the cocktail dresses were not even flattering or necessarily beautiful.  Put Daniel Craig in a suit and it doesn't even have to be an expensive suit-he'll still look good.  I wonder if he still has that light blue bathing suit.....

Arbitrage

I had a platonic date with THE Drew Seeley but I made us late for our first movie choice so we decided to see Arbitrage instead.

Richard Gere & Susan Sarandon play Robert & Ellen Miller with such ease you immediately get caught up in their upper crust Manhattan world of gala checks and ignored extra-martal affairs.  Until Robert's makes him the focus of an investigation by Detective Michael Bryer (Tim Roth) that proves vaguely irritating for his character before crossing into potentially life-altering places.  Bryer persists in his quest for the truth behind a car accident that resulted in a fatality.  He believes Robert is involved but he cannot prove his theory.

Most people try to keep business and pleasure separate but in Robert's selfish pursuit of his version of a perfect life, he realizes these two worlds are not only intertwined but dependent on one another.  While trying to facilitate the sale of his curiously audit-clearing hedge fund, we find out he has had to take a few "short cuts" to make it to the top.  If nothing else, he is a man defiant in the face of certain failure and incapable of remorse or empathy, but some how he manages to charm you past these short comings, and you soon understand how he's made it to the top in such an unsavory business.  I'm not sure if the character is perfectly developed or if this is simply Mr. Gere in yet another effortless turn at humanizing an outrageous character's id.  My guess is the later.

That's about as much praise that I can heap on this movie.  It's not a bad movie but it's also not great.  The plot never really goes anywhere terribly exciting but you want it to.  And you expect it to.

I was lucky enough to read an earlier draft of writer/director Nicholas Jarecki's previous script The Informers.  He wrote the HELL out of the script.  When it was produced they ended up chopping some 40 pages to keep the budget from inflating even more than it already had and it showed in an incomprehensible story lines that never connects to any other part of the story.  It was a shame what ended up getting lobbed onto the big screen instead of what he had intended.  So maybe this vision of his got hacked also-but I doubt it because he also directed Arbitrage.

Perhaps I missed "the point" which was that the story is more about who you turn to for help when you get stuck in the stickiest of situations--rather than a fictional expose of the dark world of New York City finance.  If that's the case, they chose the wrong part of this story to focus on.  The interesting part is diving into the mind of a Wall Street megalomaniac and watching it all unravel.  Now that, I want to see.

Premium Rush

This was the most exciting movie that could have been made about a bike messenger in New York City. Anyone remember Phone Booth?  Yeah, that's what I thought....

Lawless

Full disclosure, I was really excited for this movie and I got a bit tipsy before I went.

Lawless is a perfect mix of a smartly photographed story, unabashed violence and drinking.  John Hillcoat directed the hell out of this movie-save a few plot points that could have been presented a bit better.  Starting with nonfiction is always fun because it's difficult to determine where the screen writer took certain creative liberties, and with a story like this, it's no different.  The idea that these brothers were a legend in their own right before we properly get introduced to them sets the tone from the opening scene in a pig pen.

Some people have said they thought it felt slow.  I'm not really sure how a movie with this much violence can seem slow.  I felt more like I was being given a chance to catch my breath and prepare for the next bloody battle.  There are many in this movie.  However, it never seemed gratuitous or out of character given the time period and occupation of the main characters.

Characters....ah, yes.  Where should I start?  First let me say: Jessica Chastain-WOW!  More like Jessica Rabbit.  I have a new girl crush.  She seems very at home in the grit, with a proper lady-like exterior.  You're rooting for Forrest (Tom Hardy) to make his move the whole movie.  Hardy could have been more conscious of his grunts and mumbling because I need him to sound like Forrest Bondurant--not Bane.  The scene where Maggie explains to Forrest that she was the one that got him to the hospital was like an acting orgasm and so well acted I needed a cigarette afterwards.

Jason Clarke gives a monster performance as Howard Bondurant, but I feel like this movie is not really about his or Forrest's story.  We seem focused on Jack (Shia LaBeouf) becoming-or trying to become-a living legend like his brothers.  But it goes terribly awry.  Sure, he survives many situations that would leave anyone not named Bondurant dead, but he still manages to muck up everything he gets involved in.  Including a budding relationship with the daughter of a local bishop in the Mennonite/Amish community played by Mia Wasikowska.  She and Gary Oldman both turn in scene stealing performances.  They have fairly small parts (Oldman more so than Wasikowska) but seem comfortable completely nailing their characters in those brief moments.  It's quite nice to watch.

I would also like to point out that this movie looks gorgeous.  Benoit Delhomme does an amazing job of showing us a literal cock fight after we see the brother spar in a scene.  It's subtle and could be seen as just adding to the over all imagery of life in Franklin county during that time but I like to think it was very cleverly done and intentional.  Production designer Chris Kennedy does a great job of showing us this life also through his designs.  I felt at times Margot Wilson's costumes were a bit heavy and obvious, except for Forrest's gray sweater.  I want that sweater.

What would I have done differently?  Not a lot.  It's one of the best movies I've seen in a long time.

Savages

If the Kill Bill movies and Blow had a baby, it would be Savages.  I personally enjoy Oliver Stone and was very much looking forward to seeing this movie.  However, after viewing, I was very excited to read the book.  Surely there is a more complete version of this story-one that actually makes sense and is cohesive.

First off, if someone is going to narrate a movie or even have lengthy VOs, I need that person to have at least a little inflection—there’s a reason why Keanu Reeves gets called out so I’m looking at you Blake Lively.  Let’s be honest, I love Blake Lively and think she was great in this movie.  However, this monotonous delivery is not working for me at all.  It makes me roll my eyes and takes me out of the story.

In addition to Lively, everyone else in the cast turns in very strong performances.  But in different movies.  It’s sort of like when you watch Twilight and you wonder, did Robert Pattinson and Kristin Stewart realize they were acting in the same movie?  But I digress.  Taylor Kitsch & Aaron Johnson play a fantastically sorted out double leg of the love triangle with Lively.  If this type of relationship could ever work in the real world, I’m guessing copious amounts of marijuana would need to be consumed also.  Benicio Del Toro & Salma Hayak have the perfect amount of old school grit to sell their characters while John Travolta seriously impresses as a spot-on, two-timing DEA agent.

All key crews put on a great show and it’s fairly easy to get caught up in the whimsical, backwards fairy tale until the VOs audibly assault us or dreaded graphics pop up that make me think of Cellular-that’s really not good.  The clock graphics are so 80s I can’t help but think maybe they were trying to rip on Drive a bit?  But I’m not sure.  I am sure that they were so weirdly out of place, that I was thoroughly confused when they appeared. 

Even with strong performances and excellent execution in most of the necessary areas, the movie drags.  To be telling a story about sex, drugs and violence, it just felt like it went on forever and not enough happened.  That being said, I felt like there was ample amounts of sex, drugs and violence but the way it was laid out did the story no justice.  And PLEASE don’t even get me started on the false ending which was so amazing, to then take it away from me wasn’t fair.  I wanted more and I expected more.  Especially from Stone—who started adapting the screenplay before the book was even published.  I would guess it suffered from Stone being too intimate with the finer points of the story to the point that he forgot to let the audience in on some of those finer points.  

Overall not bad, but not nearly as amazing as it could have been.  What would I have done differently?  Tighten up the story and have Blake come alive for her VOs.  I don't care if you're in your PJs in that booth, but at least make me think you're going on this journey with us because this is a really cool story and it deserved just a bit more.

The Dark Knight Rises

**SPOILERS INCLUDED**

Rarely is a movie as anticipated as The Dark Knight Rises.  And rarely do I find myself  in no hurry to get out of the theatre after two hours and 45 minutes.  Mostly because movies don’t tend to run that long, but also because I was still soaking it all in.  There was a lot to this movie--but in a good way.  Not in the way that The Dark Knight really needed to be broken into two movies.

We reintroduce ourselves to Nolan’s Gotham after an eight-year hiatus.  Ra’s Al Ghul may be dead but his plan lives on.  The League of Shadows still has its sights set on destroying the city and turning Gotham’s residents against one another.  In an effort to keep the peace of the city, now Commissioner Gordon (Oldman) allows the Batman (Bale) to continue as the scapegoat for past atrocities.

Time has taken more than it’s toll on Mr. Wayne and his comfortable ability to ignore the outside world.   After learning he is nearly broke due to a failed clean energy project with Wayne Enterprises board member Miranda Tate (Cotillard), Alfred (Caine) passionately seizes the opportunity to further his campaign for Wayne to move on from the loss of Rachel.  Wayne has no choice but to return to living a public life.  

Bane’s opening move is an attack on the stock exchange which drains Wayne’s final pennies forcing him to hand over control of Wayne Enterprises to Tate, one of the few people he trusts.  Stripped of his monetary fortune, Wayne resurrects his alter ego and sets out to hunt the mercenary with the assistance of particularly beautiful cat burglar, Selina Kyle (Hathaway).   Kyle makes sure to stay on the cusp of the action without being fully invested in any outcome.

Once face-to-face, Bane annihilates and physically cripples Batman-with Kyle looking on.  Upon waking , Wayne finds himself in a foreign prison that resembles a large well.  There is a man who tells Wayne his job is to keep him alive so he can witness the horror that is to befall Gotham.  (In a place that looks like it doesn’t even have running water, it’s a bit of a stretch to think there is enough juice and reception for a TV, but I’ll go along with it.)

With the Batman out of his way, Bane commandeers Wayne Enterprise’s clean energy core and converts it into a nuclear fusion bomb.  He makes a very public spectacle of informing the public of his plan for Gotham which leads to chaos.  To ensure no one can interfere with the plan, the bomb is mobilized in the back of a semi truck and sent out to traverse the city and keep it's whereabouts a secret.

After hearing stories of a child who was able to make the perilous climb up the wall to escape the prison, something seems to click for Wayne.  Adding to his incentive, we come to learn the child was the offspring of Ra’s Al Ghul.  Now we know where Bane fits into all of this. 

Where we had a costume before to clearly let us know when he’s Batman and when he’s Bruce Wayne, now they seem to be becoming indistinguishable.  He is determined to succeed in saving Gotham.   He gains enough strength to make the climb but still fails because his two egos are at odds.  By embracing both sides of who he is, he realizes he is the only one who can stop Bane.  

He makes a most awesome reentrance to his city and brings along a few choice toys.  With recruits Kyle, Gordon, Lucius Fox, Tate and a police detective named John Blake (Gordon-Levitt), who knows Batman’s true identity, they set out to destroy Bane and save the citizens of Gotham.

Batman has finally overpowered Bane, and his inner demons, when Tate suddenly stabs Batman and reveals herself as Ra’s Al Ghul’s daughter, the child who escaped from the prison.  Once she believes Batman is fatally injured, she turns her attention back to detonating the bomb and Kyle is able to swoop in with her cat-like reflexes and save our hero.

Maneuvering through Gotham’s cityscape with his bat, Batman is able to catch up to Tate and drag the bomb out to sea.  As we watch in the distance, the bat is replaced by a giant explosion.  I couldn’t help but think, this feels right.  Batman should die.  Not because he deserved to die or because you want him to, but because it just feels right.  In some ways, Batman does indeed need to die so Bruce Wayne can live on-without the shadow.

Nolan’s wrap is superb in some points and clunky in others.  The ending scene with Aflred at the café in Venice-love it.  However, for as clever and tight as his writing is, sometimes he resorts to hitting us over the head so hard with what is obvious.  It puts a scratch in the finish that you just can’t buff out to make perfect.  There were a few of these moments in Inception and I’m still not over that.  If I ever had the honor of speaking with him, I would bring it up because this movie-as well as his other movies-was so enjoyable and so well done on almost every level that I’m sad to have the smallest bit of a sour taste left in my mouth.  

Moonrise Kingdom

After Fantastic Mr. Fox, I was left wanting something more/else from Wes Anderson.  I've always been a fan of his, but for some reason, I didn't really like Fox.  Surely after three years and compiling a cast that includes Bruce Willis, Frances McDormand & Tilda Swinton (hilariously referred to throughout the movie simply as "Social Services") I would not be disappointed.  Add in Anderson faithfulls Bill Murray & Jason Schwartzman and I'm already in the car on my way to the theatre.

The plot was everything we've learned to trust from Anderson.  Incredibly odd situations made normal by full dedication to the world he has created for his characters.  It's this diligent dedication on his part that make us so eager to pack our own library books and run away with him-libraries be damned!  As our two protagonists seek an escape to their own corner of the map, we realize there's no Khaki Scout, canoe or tent that can take us far enough away or shield us from life's continuation.  It is what it is, and we must carry on the best we can.

It would be impossible for this movie to be as engaging and enjoyable as it was without the freshness of Kara Hayward & Jared Gilman.  That being said, I think Gilman could have benefited from more rehearsal time as his delivery came across a bit rushed.  Was his lip pursing a tic he purposefully gave Sam or his inability to disguise perhaps the cutest personal trait ever?  Who cares.  I loved it. Perhaps Hayward had it easier as all she needed to do was watch The Royal Tenenbaums and carefully craft her character after Gwyneth Paltrow's Margot-maybe she is Margot in an alternate universe with red hair and ten fingers.

As with most of Anderson's characters, his current cast seems to be held back from becoming fully functioning members of society.  Often times it's due to a very specific turning point in their lives.  However, after an hour and a half+ of living in their magical worlds we dismiss all shortcomings because we finally understand what makes them tick--and therefore actually whole just the way they are.  I found this to be especially true in the scene where Hayward is in the bathtub speaking with McDormand after returning home.  As they dig deeper into unpleasant conversation, it feels like we are intruding on a real life mother-daughter moment as we learn that no matter what age, we all face the same uncertainties.

The plot follows Suzy (Hayward) and Sam (Gilman) as they reunite after a chance encounter that leads to a year of pen pal letters.  They decide to run off together and inhabit their own secluded cove of New Penzance.  Along the way they traverse some serious terrain and finally make it to their destination where they are suddenly free to just be.  Their new-found leeway doesn't last long as Suzy's parents, Sam's scout master and the police captain catch up to them with Walt (Murray) literally exposing them in a most witty show of symbolism.

After Walt decides Suzy & Sam can never see each other again, the previously sour Khaki Scouts come to Sam's aid as they plot and execute a mission to get them back together.  Their plan goes awry as a massive hurricane approaches the island and cuts short the young lovers intent of sailing off into the sunset.  With new information that Sam will be shipped off to an orphanage upon capture, Captain Sharp (Willis) steps in and gives Sam what Suzy is incapable of providing: a welcoming home.   By taking on Sam, Sharp gives Sam & Suzy what they never knew they needed from the beginning: a chance to be close and get to know each other.

DP Robert Yeoman delivers in the cinematography department--as he usually does.  Adam Stockhausen & Kasia Walicka-Maimone step right into Anderson's world without so much as a stutter step.  It's all enough to make this girl long for her own journey from Summer's End to Moonrise Kingdom.  If I could, I would.